Milking machine connecter and pneumatic and electric conductor therefor



S. J. ERLING June 4, 1935.

MILKING MACHINE CONNECTER AND PNEUMATIC AND ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR THEREFORFiled Nov. 22, 1932 a -y w, f Mm E n NVM a5 m V 5 Patented June 4,- 1935PATENT ori-ICE MILKING MACHINE CONNECTER AND PNEU- MATIC AND THEREFOBELEo'ralc 'CONDUCTOR Sven Johan Erllng, Nockeby, Sweden, alignor to TheDe Laval Separator Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jerseyy Application November zz, 19:2, serial No. 643,838 In Sweden December28, 1931 9 emma. (ci. 17a-eze) It is known to provide a pneumatic andelectric theconducting wire which extends through any given length ofrubber tube should be longer than such given length of rubber tube inorder to pre-- vent rupture when the tube is bent or otherwise deformed.Various expedients have been devised to accomplish the desired result,such as. for example: introducing a comparatively soft straightconducting wire into a channel, of somewhat greater diameter than thewire, extending longitudinally through the tube wall, while the tube isstretched considerably beyond its normal length, so that, when the tubeis allowed to resume its normal length, the conducting wire will becoiled up in the shape of a more or less irregular spiral; orintroducing a corrugated wire into a longitudinal channel ofsubstantially greater diameter than the wire. In the case o! some ofthese various expedients it is diillcult to insert the wire, and inmost, if not all, of them, the bends, turnsor twists in the wire arestarting points for ruptures.

Special difilculties arise in adapting any pneumatic and electricconductor to that type of milking machine which embodies the followingconstruction. A rubber tube, in which is embedded two conducting wires,encloses a metal sleeve and is surrounded by another metal sleeve. 'Ihetube is connected with the main vacuum pipe by slipping said innersleeve over a cock or nozzle on or communicating with said vacuum pipe.The vacuum pipe is connected with one pole of a circuit and the outersleeve is connectible with another pole of the circuit. The wires at thedescribed end of the tube are electrically connected with the outer andinner sleeves respectively. The wires at the other end of the tube areconnected with opposite poles of a magnet, which, in the opening andclosing of the electric circuit, controls the operation of a pneumaticvalve.

.The invention comprises a novel construction of pneumatic and electricconductor which is adapted for any use for which pneumatic and electricconductors are applicable, and it also comprises a special constructionwhereby the pneumatic and electric conductor, preferably of the specialtype herein described, is adapted to a milking machine connecter of thedescribed general construction.

The construction embodying the invention comprises an elastic tubecontaining channels through which extend an electric conducting wire inthe form of a regular helix. Owing to the small diameter of the channel,it is extremely diiilcult to insert such a spiral conducting wire and itis also dimcult, in the process of such insertion, to maintain thespiral shape. I have overcome this difllculty by winding the electricconducting wire, which preferably is composed of a number of tine wires,upon a central core, which is preferablyof relatively soft material, forexample, steel which is softer than the steel or other metal of whichthe wire is composed. The core may be allowed to remain within the wirespiral, but it is much prei'erred to withdraw the core after theintroduction of the composite structure into the rubber tube. It is notnecessary, during the operation, to maintain the rubber tube stretchedand indeed it is undesirable to do so, since there is a tendency towardimpairment of the conducting wire ii' the tube undergoes some change ofshape.

It is practicable to have several such helical electric conductorsextend through one longitudinal channel in the tube wall in order toavoid an opening of the electric circuit in case a rupture should occurin one of the electric conductors; and in claiming an electricconducting wire extending through such channel I do not mean to belimited to a single electric conductor.

Figure 1 is an enlarged view of a conducting wire wound about a centralcore.

Figure 2 is a View, mainly in longitudinal section, of a connecterembodying my invention.

In Figure l a is the removable core about which is spirally or helicallywound the wire b, which is composed, preferably, of a number of finewires.

In Figure 2 d is one end of a rubber tube. Extending longitudinallythrough the wall of the rubber tube are two channels c, c', throughwhich extend two wires, b, b', each spirally coiled about an opencenter, from which, after the insertion of the wire, the core a has beenremoved. The end of the rubber tube encloses an inner sleeve e having anoutwardly turned or flanged, or otherwise enlarged, head f. Sleeve e isadapted to engage a cock or nozzle on or communicating with a vacuumpipe (not shown). In the upper open end of channel c, and opening in itsinner wall, the rubber tube is provided with a special orice throughwhich the end of wire b is drawn. This end of wire extends in an arcuatedirection over the end.- wall of the rubber tube and between said endwall and the iiange f. A clamping ring i, having an inturned iiange,abuts against the end wall of the rubber tube and the flanged end f ofthe sleeve e and clamps the end of wire b between the flanged end of thesleeve and the end wall of the rubber tube.

An outer sleeve Ic surrounds the end of the rubber tube and has aninturned lower edge which bites into the wall of the rubber tube and isthereby held securely thereon. The clamping ring t is confined betweenan inturned flange of the outer sleeve lc and the end wall of the rubbertube.

The inner sleeve e is preferably provided with a slit g in order to makeit possible to easily force the connecter onto the cock or nozzle of thevacuum pipe (not shown) The slitted inner sleeve e is squeezed by therubber tubewhich isconfined between this sleeve and thev outersleeve k.In order to prevent a considerable deformation of the slitted innersleeve e, which would make it diiilcult to force it onto the nozzle, theslit is made very narrow, preferably about .3 mm. Owing to thediiliculty of making a long slit ofthlsnarrow width, it is foundexpedient to limit the squeezing above referred to by making only a part(most conveniently the upper part) of the slit of very narrowwidth, theother part h, of greater length, being much wider.

'I'he upper end of wire b may be bent out through an orice extendingfrom the channel c' through the outer tube wall, and contact with theouter sleeve 7c, but it is preferred to have the upper end of wire b'contact with a ring m, which is confined between the outer wallof therubber tube and the sleeve k. It is preferred toestablish certain andpermanent contact between the ring m and the wire conductor b bysoldering them together. This can be facilitated by making the ring m, asplit ring and by effecting the soldering before the application of theouter sleeve k.

It is unnecessary to solder the wire conductor b to the inner sleeve e,since the wire b is pressed tightly against both the outer wall of thesleeve e and against its flanged head, but for special security the wireb may be soldered to the sleeve e.

In order to prevent moisture from entering the open ends of channels c,c' of the rubber tube, they should be plugged, for example, by rubberstoppers n, n'.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A pneumatic-electric connecter for milking machines comprising a tubeof elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinally extendingchannel, and an electric conductor extending therethrough, saidconductor comprising a closely wound helix of wire.

, 2. A pneumatic-electric connecter for milking machines comprising atube of elastic material provided in its wall with a longitudinallyextending channel, and a tubular electric conducting element extendingtherethrough, the wall of the tubular electric conducting elementcomprising a wire helix.

3. vA connecter for milking machines compris- Y ing a tube of elasticmaterial provided in its wall 4. A connecter for milking machinescomprising a tube of elastic material provided in its wall with alongitudinal channel, a metal sleeve confined within an end of the tube,said sleeve having a head, and an electric conducting wire extendingthrough said channel and th'e vend of which is confined between the endwall of the tube and the head of the sleeve, with which it haselectrical connection.

5. A connecter for milking machines comprising atube of elastic materialprovided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metal sleeveconfined within an end of the tube, said sleeve having an end head, thetube wall being provided along said end of its inner wall with anorifice opening into said channel near one end thereof and an electricconducting wire extending through said channel and into said orifice andalong the outer wall of the sleeve and between the end wall of the tubeand the head of the sleeve.

6. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elasticmaterial provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metalsleeve confined within an end of the tube, said sleeve being providedwith a longitudinal slit .and thereby made circumferentially elastic andan electric conducting wire extending through said channel and confinedbetween the tube and the slitted sleeve, with which it has electricalconnection;

7. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elasticmaterial provided in its wall with a longitudinal channel, a metalsleeve con'- flned within an end of the tube, said sleeve being providedwith a slit extending from the end lthereof adjacent the end of the tubelongitudinally toward the other end and thereby made circumferentiallyelastic, said slit being relatively narrow near the first named end andrelatively wide toward its other end, and an electric conducting wireextending through said channel and confined between the tube and theslitted sleeve, with which it has electrical connection.

8. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elasticmaterial, the wall of which is provided with two longitudinallyextending channels, an inner metal sleeve conned within one end of thetube, a metal sleeve embracing the' same end of the tube, and electricconducting wires extending through said channels, one of said wiresextending through an opening in the inner wall of the tube and intoelectric contact with the inner sleeve and the other wire extendingthrough an opening in the outer wall of the tube and .in electricconnection with the outer sleeve.

- 9. A connecter for milking machines comprising a tube of elasticmaterial, the wall of which is provided with two longitudinallyextending channels, an inner metal sleeve confined within one end of thetube, a metal sleeve embracing the same endof the tube, electricconducting wires extending through said channels, one of said wiresextending through an opening in the inner wall of the tube and intoelectric contact with the inner sleeve and the other wire extendingthrough an opening in the outer wall of the tube and in electricconnection with the outer sleeve, and closures for the ends of saidchannels beyond said openings. v SVEN JOHAN ERLING.

